It is known in the art to operate a multiple paystation telephone installation from a central office. In such systems, the central office typically performs the coin collect, return and verification functions necessary to provide both local and long distance services. Each paystation of the system may also be connected through the central office to a so-called "auto attendant." The auto attendant accept a message from the paystation and delivers the message to a specific destination. The auto attendant, however, cannot provide such enhancements as "voice mail" because this device does not have the capability to record and store messages.
Multiple paystation installations of the type described above have recently been enhanced through the use of so-called "smart" paystations. Such paystations typically include their own microprocessor and associate memory for supporting various computer programs. These programs provide several desirable operating features, e.g., loop start dialtone and "least cost routing" for long distance telephone calls. Although "smart" paystations are advantageous, such devices have yet to be successfully integrated into auto attendant or conventional voice message systems. Paystation operators have therefore been unable to offer message transfer, voice messaging or other enhancements to users of their paystations.